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Los Angeles Plays Itself ()

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A documentary on how Los Angeles has been used and depicted in the movies.
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Photos and Videos

1 photo | 2 videos

Cast

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Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Encke King ...
Narrator (voice)
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Officer Frank Smith in Dragnet (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Frank Stark in Rebel Without A Cause (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Lana Turner in L.A. Confidential (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Dorothy in Bush Mama (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Dr. Clayton Forrester (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Roy Morgan / Roy Martin in He Walked By Night (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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George Copeland in The Blue Dahlia (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Buzz Wanchek in The Blue Dahlia (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Veda Pierce in Mildred Pierce (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Terry Lennox in The Long Goodbye (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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FBI Agent Little Johnson in Die Hard (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Tom Powers in The Public Enemy (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Charles 'Butcher' Benton in The Indestructible Man (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Doctor Crawford / Matthew Crawford in Timestalkers (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Al Hickey in Hickey & Boggs (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Frank Boggs in Hickey & Boggs (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Dave Pomeroy in Panic in the City (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Penny in Three Smart Girls (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Mark in Zabriskie Point (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Frank Chambers / Nick Blake (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Jackie Treehorn in The Big Lebowski (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Duffy in Chinatown (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Jody in Earthquake (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Jesse Quinn in Dragnet (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Daria in Zabriskie Point (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Ollie (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Gwen Allen in The Public Enemy (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Adam J. Niles in Bachelor in Paradise (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Georgia Crawford in Timestalkers (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Dean in Venice / Venice (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Steve in Two-Minute Warning (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Duty Sergeant in Escape From L.A. (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Mulvihill in Chinatown (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Sandman in Two-Minute Warning (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Philip Raven in This Gun For Hire (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Stan (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Uli in Die Hard (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Jerome Littlefield in The Disorderly Orderly (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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George Matthews in Model Shop (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Escobar in Chinatown (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Detective DeLongpre in The Player (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Walter Neff (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Cliff Harper (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Walsh in Chinatown (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Badge of Honor Star Brett Chase (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Mike Hammer in Kiss Me Deadly (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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John 'Plato' Crawford (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Officer Bill Gannon in Dragnet (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Sir Ambrose Abercrombie in The Loved One (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Dennis Barlow (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Al Roberts in Detour (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Dr. Vance in Earthquake (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Frank Bigelow (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Lt. Christy French in Marlowe (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Katherine in Chinatown (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Michael Kogan in The Replacement Killers (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Rob in Annie Hall (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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President in Escape From L.A. (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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The Priest in Two-Minute Warning (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Vera in Detour (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Monte Beragon in Mildred Pierce (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Johnny Stompanato in L.A. Confidential (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Joe Brodnek in Flareup (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Karen Carr in Unlawful Entry / Sherri Shepard in Short Cuts (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Pierce Patchett in L.A. Confidential (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Norma Desmond (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Dave Purvis in Armored Car Robbery (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Frankie Lymon in Why Do Fools Fall In Love (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Al Doyle in Nobody Lives Forever (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Lucien Bellon in The Outside Man (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Cora Smith (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Justine in Heat (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Mal Reese in Point Blank (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Jake Scully in Body Double (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Det. Jim Campbell in The Glimmer Man (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Sergeant Joe Friday in Dragnet (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Michele in Flareup (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Lou Hopke (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Griff Marat in Shockproof (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Detective Oliver Franklin in First Power (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Wilbur Glenworthy / Harry Glenworthy in The Loved One (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Judy (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Diz / Darlene in Out Of Bounds (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Curly in Chinatown (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Hollis Mulwray in Chinatown (uncredited) (archiveFootage)

Directed by

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Thom Andersen

Written by

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Thom Andersen ... (text)

Produced by

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Thom Andersen ... producer

Cinematography by

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Deborah Stratman

Editing by

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Seung-Hyun Yoo

Editorial Department

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Peter Bo Rappmund ... additional editing

Sound Department

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Thor Moser ... sound
Craig Smith ... sound

Stunts

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Terry Jackson ... stunts (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Scott Crary ... distribution assistant

Thanks

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Morgan Fisher ... thanks to

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Of the cities in the world, few are depicted in and mythologized more in film and television than the city of Los Angeles. In this documentary, Thom Andersen examines in detail the ways the city has been depicted, both when it is meant to be anonymous and when itself is the focus. Along the way, he illustrates his concerns of how the real city and its people are misrepresented and distorted through the prism of popular film culture. Furthermore, he also chronicles the real stories of the city's modern history behind the notorious accounts of the great conspiracies that ravaged his city that reveal a more open and yet darker past than the casual viewer would suspect. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

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Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Los Angeles Por Ela Mesma (Brazil)
  • Los Angeles dar Naghsh e Khodash (Iran, Persian title)
  • В роли самого себя - Лос-Анджелес (Russia)
  • Los Angeles Kendini Oynuyor (Turkey, Turkish title)
  • Το Λος Άντζελες παίζει το ρόλο του (Greece)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 169 min
Country
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Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Goofs The narration describes architect John Lautner's famous Chemosphere house as "a hexagon of wood, steel, and glass." The Chemosphere is octagonal. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Top 10 Movies to Watch if You Liked La La Land (2017). See more »
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